William & Josephine Linyear Honorary Scholarship

Hello, my name is Taylah Bailey. I am a high school senior at Clarke County High School in a small town called Berryville, Virginia. I plan on attending Old Dominion University in the Fall and I intend on majoring in Elementary Education. My goal after graduating college is to become a well-rounded elementary school teacher and to join a black sorority to learn more about my culture and connect with educated black women such as myself. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, listening to music, cooking, and spending my free time by the water. I have always been passionate about helping and teaching others while learning along the way. As a child, I was always the older cousin taking care of my younger cousins and siblings. My family rewarded me with the nickname "Mother Goose". After gaining experience from a Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow I teaching internship through a class at Clarke County High School for D.G. Cooley Elementary School and working with Loudoun County Parks and Recreation CASA as an After School Aide, I have cemented myself and my path towards my passion of becoming an elementary school teacher. My plans on attending Old Dominion University will also help to push further towards my lifelong goal of becoming an elementary school teacher and push me even further towards helping our black youth become well-rounded and highly educated American civilians of society. A specific goal I have laid out for myself as an elementary school educator is to teach at an At Risk or Title IX elementary school in the state of Virginia to help give a more positive learning experience to those in an area in need. I also plan to specialize in language arts by promoting communication and comprehension in at risk communities with young children in need of extra assistance with language arts. In my future as an elementary school educator, I would love to find ways to give back to our community by getting my students involved in volunteering by donating resources and sending kind letters to local nursing homes and homeless shelters in the area. I feel that volunteering for your community at a young age sets a stone in the path of our youth by also helping others. After my time as a club member of Interact Club at Clarke County High School, I enjoyed seeing the people we helped smile and I believe that this experience could also help young students as well. I would also like to dedicate more time towards celebrating other teachers and encouraging the children that come in and out of their experiences with me as their teachers to want to become educators as well. My great grandmother set an excellent example for me as a child and always told me to strive for greatness and to help others no matter the circumstance. My great grandmother was also an educator in Loudoun County during her youth and has been an inspiration to me and I believe as educators we should celebrate ourselves and our accomplishments to our society as well.